Ricky Needs Your Support

Ricky will be closely monitored as he grows to determine whether he needs surgery to correct his deformity. In the meantime, Ricky was adopted into a new home!

Ricky's Story

When the Animal League rescued Ricky from an overcrowded municipal shelter in the South, it was clear that something was wrong. This adorable eight-week-old puppy was having trouble walking.

Our veterinarians examined Ricky and discovered that his right hind leg had been fractured at some point in his young life, possibly from being stepped on. Although the break had healed, the fact that he never received appropriate treatment made walking a struggle.

But that wasn’t all. What appeared at first to be related lameness in Ricky’s other back leg turned out to be something very serious: a deformity of his left hip, caused either by trauma or a genetic defect. The result: His left hind limb is a full three inches shorter than his right.

Ricky requires corrective surgery and rehabilitation to live a full and happy life. He was immediately placed into our life-saving Help Me Heal Program to get the extensive care he needs.

If the Animal League hadn’t taken Ricky into its care, he would almost certainly have been destroyed, since many shelters don’t have the facilities to care for animals in need of such extensive medical attention.

Your donation now to our Help Me Heal program will help us continue to provide the life-saving care that injured and sick animals, like Ricky, so desperately need. Please donate today.

North Shore Animal League America—the world's largest no-kill rescue and adoption organization—has saved the lives of over 1 million dogs, cats, puppies and kittens at risk of euthanasia. Through our many innovative programs, we reach across the country to rescue animals from overcrowded shelters, unwanted litters, puppy mills, natural disasters and other emergencies and find them permanent, loving homes. As a leader in the no-kill movement, we are dedicated to promoting shelter pet adoptions; encouraging spay/neuter programs; reducing animal cruelty; ending euthanasia; and advancing the highest standards in animal welfare. Please join us in saving the lives of innocent animals by donating to support our lifesaving mission.